Under fire for reinstating a police officer who punched a handcuffed woman in the face, the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission announced at its meeting Thursday that it would revisit the decision next week.

But the announcement did nothing to quell the audience's outrage, which boiled over as dozens of people demanded the removal of commissioners, Police Chief Edward Flynn and Mayor Tom Barrett.

Commissioners left without adjourning the meeting as audience members confronted Flynn, demanding that he leave town. They lambasted him for ignoring them and sending text messages as they spoke.

Some held signs proclaiming that the commission supports violence against women and police brutality.

One woman stared down the female commissioners, including Paio Lor. She and Commissioner Michael O'Hear made up the 2-1 majority of a three-member panel that voted to suspend Officer Richard Schoen for 60 days instead of removing him from the force.

"I bet you guys have never had your ass beat by a man," the woman shouted. "Well, I have. . . . You're saying it's OK for the Police Department to beat on our women now?"

Although the vote was taken Monday, such decisions do not become final until commissioners put them in writing and sign them. Commissioners were expected to do that Thursday but backpedaled at the end of a second day of criticism from city, county and state officials.

The commission will meet Tuesday and could decide to take another vote on the matter, commission Executive Director Michael Tobin said.

The outcry over Schoen's reinstatement follows more than two months of protests that began after the Journal Sentinel published an investigation into the July 2011 death of Derek Williams in police custody and posted squad car video of officers ignoring his pleas for help.

Officials at the commission, Police Department and district attorney's office viewed the video and concluded the officers involved did nothing wrong. All three reopened their inquiries as a result of the Journal Sentinel investigation.

Since September, activists have marched weekly demanding justice for Williams, later adding James Perry and Darius Simmons to their list.

Perry, 41, died in the Milwaukee County Jail after being released from the hospital in September 2010. Video obtained by WITI-TV (Channel 6) shows Perry unable to walk, speak coherently or control his bowels after he is returned to the city lockup and then the jail. As in the Williams case, police officers accused Perry of faking.

Simmons, 13, was shot to death in May by his 75-year-old next-door neighbor, who accused the boy of stealing guns from his home. Police detained Simmons' mother, Patricia Larry, in a squad car, not allowing her to be at her dying son's side.

"Police and community relations continue to deteriorate as the Fire and Police Commission continues to fail to address a consistent pattern of abuse by rogue police officers," said Milwaukee County Supervisor David Bowen.

He wants all the commission members replaced with people who are more in touch with city residents.

Supervisor Russell W. Stamper II said commissioners should be replaced via public elections rather than being appointed. He said commissioners' decision to reinstate Schoen "clearly indicates their incompetence, irresponsibility and lack of respect for human rights."

State Sen. Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee) has scheduled a hearing for 4 p.m. Dec. 14 at the offices of the NAACP, 2745 N. King Drive. She wants to hear from citizens about their experiences with police brutality as well as solicit input on whether the commission should be restructured or eliminated.

"For now, all I can express is a great disappointment for the culture of disrespect and degradation that the commission not only allows to exist, but actively watches grow at alarmingly horrific rates," she said in a statement. "Enough is enough."

Taylor also said she wants the community's voice heard when two vacancies on the seven-member commission are filled.

But Barrett, who appoints commissioners, said Thursday he already has selected people to fill those positions and plans to announce their names as soon as their background checks are complete.

"I believe people will be impressed with their community ties," Barrett said.

Barrett said that under state law, he could not remove sitting commissioners during their five-year terms.

Schoen arrested Jeanine Tracy in September 2011 for becoming argumentative after a traffic stop, according to the Police Department. The video, which was captured by a camera in the police garage, shows Tracy stomping her feet, spitting and cursing before Schoen punches her, drags her out of the car by the hair and strikes her in the stomach with his knee after she is on the floor.

Commissioners made the decision to rehire Schoen after a two-day hearing similar to a trial.

Schoen could not be reached. His attorney, Jonathan Cermele, said it was irresponsible "Monday morning quarterbacking" for officials to criticize the commission's decision.

"It's truly unfortunate that elected officials offer these opinions without attending the trial or any knowledge of the facts in evidence," Cermele said. "They're watching a 10-second video snippet on television."

Cermele said he believes the commission considered both Schoen's record of service and the seriousness of the alleged violation, as state guidelines require. A key factor of the latter, he said, is that there "were no injuries whatsoever" to Tracy.

But Tracy's attorney, Todd Korb, said she suffered head and back injuries as well as psychological problems. She is still being treated and plans to file a lawsuit, Korb said.

Tracy seemed bewildered by the commission's decision to reinstate Schoen.

Schoen's case stands in stark contrast to the consequences imposed on former Milwaukee County Sheriff's Sgt. Scott Krause, who was fired, convicted of a felony and sentenced to 18 months in prison after being caught on video punching a handcuffed suspect in 2009.

A civil rights lawsuit against Krause and the county is pending in federal court.

In Schoen's case, the district attorney's office concluded the use of force was inappropriate but decided it could not prove a criminal case against him. Its reasons were threefold, according to a letter Chief Deputy District Attorney Kent Lovern wrote to Flynn. First, it was not clear Schoen intended to cause Tracy pain or injury. Second, she had no visible injuries. Third, she did not remember what happened in the squad car and told investigators she was struck while on the floor rather than in the car.

"A criminal prosecution of this incident would rely almost entirely upon a video that until the end portrays Tracy in a fairly unsympathetic fashion, and the State would then be forced to reconcile the inconsistencies between the video and her statements regarding the incident," the letter says.

Barrett, Common Council President Willie Hines, Ald. Milele Coggs and Tobin said this week they disagreed with the commission's decision to give Schoen his job back.

"The irony of any calls for removal of commission members is that the very reason the citizen board was originally established was to minimize the influence of politicians and the subsequent detrimental effect of knee-jerk reactions on public safety and Police Department operations," Tobin said.

He pointed out that commissioners produced a report critical of officers' treatment of Simmons' mother; asked for a criminal investigation into illegal cavity searches and strip searches, which resulted in criminal charges against four officers; and are participating in a federal investigation into Williams' death.

Schoen's actions should be included in the review by federal officials, who also are considering whether to sue the Police Department for engaging in a pattern of civil rights violations, said Milwaukee NAACP President James H. Hall Jr.

Before the abrupt and disorderly end to Thursday's meeting, the commission approved changes to the Police Department's use of force policy. Those changes, first proposed by the commission in October, require officers to intervene if they see one of their colleagues using excessive force.

"We are far ahead of many other large urban cities when it comes to oversight of its police department, and I fully expect that we will continue moving even further ahead as we work our way through the current issues," said Tobin, a former Milwaukee police officer who is not a voting member of the commission.

After the meeting, Flynn said, "Obviously the overturning of my decision (to fire Schoen) was a setback because I think we'd begun to make some progress on the community trust front."

Bowen disagreed, saying his constituents have repeatedly spoken to city officials about disrespect and wrongdoing by police, to no avail.

"Milwaukee residents deserve accountable law enforcement and local leadership that ensures that policies and procedures are implemented and enforced to protect the safety of the public," Bowen said.

Bruce Vielmetti of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.